


Graceful Dahlia

by zeroism



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, More Ships to come, Multi, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2019-11-01 04:11:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17860043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeroism/pseuds/zeroism
Summary: "I'd like an arrangement for a funeral," says the blonde at the counter in front of him."Oh, my condolences," Sora responds, offering him a soft smile."Huh? Oh, no one died," the young man shrugs at Sora's look of utter confusion. "It's a gift."Or, Sora's daily life working at a flower shop and meeting a few strange characters.





	1. Hydrangeas and Daffodils

**Author's Note:**

> I think I'm breaking some sort of unspoken law of the universe by writing a flower shop AU but it's My Brand enough that I don't feel too guilty for succumbing to darkness. Also no regular update schedule because I have a job and a bunch of fic wips :V  
> Anyway, this is going to be almost episodic in a way, with only the barest trace of a plot. And it's kinda written like a harem anime in that there'll be plenty of ship teasing but probably no actual confirmed relationships.... Hopefully that's enjoyable and fun????  
> Also this is an AU but it may include spoilers for the entire series so I'd recommend being up to date :>

It's almost lunch time, and Sora is dozing off at the counter, when the bell at the door rings and brings him to full attention.

To be fair to him, it had been a quiet day, quieter than usual. With no one walking into the shop, Sora couldn't be blamed for sneaking in a nap or two, if he said so himself.

"I'd like an arrangement for a funeral," says the blonde at the counter in front of him.

"Oh, my condolences," Sora responds, offering him a soft smile. This was always the most awkward part of working counter at a flower shop. He liked the lovestruck declarations of love and mother's day baskets far more than the funerals.

"Huh? Oh, no one died," the young man shrugs at Sora's look of utter confusion. "It's a gift."

"...Uh-huh," Sora sounds out intelligently, eyebrows furrowing as he grabs a booklet for funeral samples. "Er, I suppose since it's a gift and not an actual funeral, you'd like something more simple like a bouquet...?"

The man hums, looking at the pictures in the booklet. "Actually, I think I'd like a wreath like this," he points at one, a fairly standard wreath of gentle white flowers.

Sora tries very hard not to cringe. What kind of gift was this guy getting for who? "Well, the starting price for a remembrance wreath of that size is about 20000 munny—"

"Yeah I'm getting a bouquet," the blonde replies immediately.

He tries very hard not to snort. Yeah, that seemed a little too steep for a prank, which is what Sora is guessing this entire thing is about. "Alright, those start at about 6500," and Sora can see the man visibly relax. "Do you have any specific requests for flowers or the arrangement itself?"

He man flips through the booklet, glancing around the shop for ideas. "I don't really care as long as it looks like it's for a funeral, so it can just be one of these full white ones," he nods, satisfied with himself. "He's gonna hate it."

Ah, yes, Lauriam was both going to love and hate this assignment, he could tell.

Once they hash out a couple more details about the bouquet, pricing and expected pickup date, Sora writing it all down, he offers the man a bright smile. "Alright, would you please write down your name and phone number so we can stay in touch?"

"Sure," the man nods, taking no time in picking up the pen and writing down, with a neat but hurried scrawl, the name _Ventus_.

When the man leaves, Sora takes a moment to wonder what kind of life this Ventus must be leading, but in the end it's not his business. He just hopes this isn't going to be used for bullying or something. That would hardly be good marketing.

 

Once he's sure he's not getting another surprise customer, Sora moves back into the back room, where Lauriam is hard at work on the next few deliveries.

"A funeral bouquet for... someone who's still alive?" He questions with a look of disgust, nose wrinkling impressively. "And with directions that essentially boil down to 'do whatever'? That's... helpful."

"Sorry, the guy was kind of clueless," Sora grimaces back at him. "Seems like an amusing project for you, though."

"You really should have called me in," Lauriam laments.

"I don't think the result would be any different," he laughs, knowing Lauriam won't take any offense to it.

It had been almost a year since Sora started working at Graceful Dahlia, a flower shop two blocks down from the apartment he shared with his long time roommate, Roxas. He'd really needed the work, and Lauriam really needed someone to man the counter after his previous employee, Elrena, got tired of having a "boring" job, instead deciding to become the manager of a musician friend of theirs Sora hadn't ever met.

At first he thought their personalities wouldn't mesh well, Lauriam too snarky and quick-witted, barbs pointed and sharpened in a way Roxas or Riku never were. But over time, he'd earned the man's trust and with it, the less tumultuous side of his personality. It was gratifying, and the job didn't pay amazingly but it was peaceful, way more than when he'd been swapping between flipping burgers and working on retail for the previous two years of his life.

He had to admit, he had it pretty good right now.

"You're more than likely right," the man sighs, looking dejected at his current arrangement. "What do you make of this one, Sora?"

The brunette takes a long look at it. "This is the one for... That acquaintance of yours, right? Evans?"

"Even," he corrects, but nods. "He wanted something 'wintry' to decorate his office... I'm not certain it matches his aesthetic."

"He didn't look like he has much of an aesthetic to begin with," Sora argues. "I thought he was more of a... brutalist."

"Indeed, Even tends to favor the practical over the form," Lauriam agrees. "Which is why I'm uncertain if he will be pleased with this."

"I think it looks nice so far," he encourages, taking another enthusiastic look over. "Maybe a bit more pine at the bottom?"

The pink haired man tilts his head, trying to find the same angle as Sora. "That may work," he nods, sitting up straighter to return to his work. "I keep telling you, you have an eye for this, Sora. Sure you don't want to take up some classes with me?"

Sora offers him a chuckle. "Totally sure. Who'd work the counter if I started doing arrangements too?"

"Lea," he responds with no pause.

That rips a full laugh from him. "Good luck with that!"

There's a moment of contented silence, the mood light, when Lauriam takes a moment to look over the slip with Ventus' request in it. He blinks, confusion brushing over his features before he straightens them again.

"Sora, would you mind telling me again who this is for?" He asks casually, but there's something about his tone that tells Sora he's hiding something. One of the more frustrating aspects of his boss's personality.

"Oh, Ventus? I couldn't get a very good read on him," Sora answers dejectedly. "He was weirdly casual about the whole thing, but I'm pretty sure he's sending this as a prank?"

"What did he look like?" Lauriam asks next, almost ignoring Sora's previous answer. He knew not to get offended, the man clearly wanted a specific answer.

"Oh, uhh," he stalls as he thinks back. "He's... about as short as me, blue eyes too. He had this blonde messy hair... A lot like Roxas, actually, but shorter."

Lauriam looks at a point over Sora's shoulder, and he knew the man was in deep thought. "Interesting," comes the elaborate response.

Was this... one of Lauriam's many acquaintances? Sora was curious, but he knew better than to ask for information Lauriam wasn't immediately giving.

 

Two days after Ventus picks up his "funeral" bouquet, Sora startles as the door to the Graceful Dahlia slams open violently, a head of spiky black hair moving swiftly to the counter.

"How may I help—"

"I want a bouquet," the man interrupts, golden eyes looking straight into Sora's, and something about his voice puts Sora on edge. "A red one!"

"Oh!" Sora brightens considerably at that. "Giving flowers to your sweetheart?"

"Yeah, red for passion or whatever," the man responds, but trying to sound dismissive didn't hide the light flush of his cheeks. "But also, I want it to have a threatening aura."

Ah. Of course.

"Um... Could you elaborate on that?"

"So it has to say, _iloveyou_ ," the man mumbles that last part so quickly Sora barely hears it, "but it also has to say ' _I would end your life in a heartbeat_ '."

That is the most amusing and terrifying message one had ever tried to pass with one of their bouquets, but somehow, it seemed like it was right up Lauriam's alley.

"I think I have an idea," Lauriam agrees, and Sora didn't even notice the man slipping out of the storage room as he heard the commotion. "We can make it red and orange. At first glance it would look like a normal bouquet, but it will look just uncanny enough to be unsettling."

"That sounds perfect," the man smirks, tone seeping with vitriol. "Make sure the flowers are just about ready to wilt too! That'll show him."

"That's a brilliant idea," Lauriam smiles, tone awfully similar to the man's. "Let's see... Sora, run the numbers for me. Red and orange roses, lilies, and... some butterfly weed too. And..."

In total, it takes them about thirty minutes to settle the details of the bouquet, and it's the most involved a client has ever been in one of Lauriam's arrangements. Something about this particular project was very inspiring to him, and honestly, Sora can't blame him. It was a fascinating display of passive aggression the man, Vanitas as they found out, was willing to pay almost 10000 munny for.

The inspiration pays out, and in a couple of days they end up with an odd, asymmetrical display of love and hatred, that looks just nice enough to be a normal bouquet, and just _wrong_ enough to be honestly a little scary. Vanitas picks it up with such a devilish grin, Sora wouldn't be surprised if he was going to deliver it while setting the house on fire.

"Do you think..." Sora begins as he watches Vanitas disappear beyond the front door.

"That this is the person who got Ventus' passive-aggressive bouquet?" Lauriam lets out a soft chuckle. "Very possible. I can't imagine there are two people in the neighborhood so willing to send over these hate-bouquets that _aren't_ involved with each other."

"I mean... there's always Isa," Sora argues, but he agrees with Lauriam's point. Isa did sometimes ask for displays of hate and contempt, but his gestures were much less grand than the ones these two were dipping into. The amount of munny they were investing in this bizarre courtship was more than Isa would ever be willing to part with just to be petty.

"Now that you mention, I could see Elrena doing it," Lauriam nods thoughtfully.

"Man," Sora shoots him a look that's equally mocking and pitying, "you have the worst friends."

 

One week later, Ventus walks back into the Graceful Dahlia with a powerful stride and a confident smile on his face.

He meets Sora's eyes and shamelessly says, "Hey, do you think you could make a bouquet with nothing but weeds?"

Sora has a feeling this will continue for a long while.


	2. Mayflower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh.  
> this chapter and the next have been mostly written for MONTHS now, but i got caught up in a bunch of fanfic wips and work, and I kept thinking I had to rewrite this one for some reason but now looking back at it, I thought...... this is fine? why did i want to redo the entire thing???? so i'm just posting it before i change my mind again  
> enjoy......

He wakes up to unidentifiable voices, fur on his face and a weight on his chest.

Sora tries his hardest to open his eyes, the first image he sees being a blurry vision of blue eyes staring back at him through a curtain of black fur. "Whuh?"

Roxas huffs, grabbing the cat that had made a bed out of Sora's collar. "You're. Late. It's like, half past ten already."

He's supposed to _come in_ at ten. The realization is like a bucket of ice being thrown at him, and he flings himself up, nearly hitting Roxas on the way. "What!? How come?"

"I dunno, man!" Roxas exclaims back, paying no mind to the cat thrashing in his hands, golden eyes near hidden by its blown-wide pupils. "I wouldn't have known if Anti hadn't snuck into your room..."

"God, thank you, kitty," Sora groans as he rolls out of bed, digging around his pile of laundry for a semi-clean shirt. "You too, Rox. I dunno where I'd be without you."

Roxas shrugs. "I don't think your boss would care if you showed up five hours late, honestly."

"I mean, if I pulled that a year ago, he'd skin me alive and call me a good-for-nothing waste of space," he argued, picking up his shorts next. "But now, I guess... uh, you may be right, actually?"

"Anyway, now that you're up and aware of your predicament," Roxas nudges his head towards the cat, "I'm gonna feed Anti and head out."

"Oh, you have practice today?" Sora questions, head halfway through the head-hole of a bright t-shirt with a funny cartoon print.

"Yeah, Xion said she had a new idea for a song she wanted to brainstorm," Roxas answers, playing around with the disgruntled black cat. "Also, she wanted me to tell you your mom is sad because you never call."

"Oops," Sora grimaces, putting on his sneakers. "Thanks, dude. I'll call her... probably."

"You should," Roxas replies noncommittally, carrying the cat out of the room.

Sora rushes through his morning routine, which does not include calling his mother, and heads out to work as fast as he can.

 

"Ah, Sora. Good to see you," Lauriam calls out as he enters the shop, and the pleasant voice would be a relief if not for the sharp look in his eyes, the slight slant of his eyebrows. "I was wondering where you'd gone."

Sora swallows, scratching idly at the back of his neck. "Sorry! My phone died, so my alarm didn't go off..."

"I see," his boss nods. "I thought so, since my call hadn't gone through. Thankfully, it's been a quiet morning so far. You're only one hour late, after all."

He can guess the hidden meaning behind It— Sora is safe... _this time_. Thank the cat gods for small mercies.

"Our dear customer, Vanitas, has been back already," Lauriam starts, moving away from the counter to let Sora take his place. "He says your idea to send a bouquet with an empty card was "genius"."

Sora grins at that, mood somewhat lifted by the easy talk. He's glad to hear back from Vanitas, too, even if it's second-hand like this. "Did you give him one of those with the pre-written To-From prompts?"

Lauriam nods, lifting a hand up to his chest in a pretty dignified gesture. "Yes, of course. I have to say, we go through quite the thought and effort to make these... _gifts_ seen thoughtless and effortless."

"That's the magic of it," Sora nods back, a mischievous smile on his face to match with his boss. "You do get a lot more into it than I do, though..."

"You know me," Lauriam winks. "I can be a petty bitch when I need to."

Sora lets out a startled chuckle. He, fortunately _and_ unfortunately, does know that, he muses after Lauriam has moved onto working on his arrangements. From what little he got to see of Elrena, they make quite an unpleasant duo, their casual conversation usually amounting to mean-spirited gossip about their acquaintances. He's very, _very_ glad to not have had that side of his boss pointed towards him... yet. It breaks Sora's image of him as a sophisticated gentleman when he smirks like a mean girl...

Wait, speaking of mean girls—

"Oh yeah!" Sora exclaims, shoving his head through the open doorway and startling the man a little. "What kinda flower do you think I should give someone as congratulations?"

"Hmm? What spurred this, exactly?" Lauriam asks, not looking up from his current project, but Sora doesn't need him to.

"Well, the other day, Riku got a really good grade on an assignment," Sora puffs out his chest, as if it were his own accomplishment. "I know how hard he works all the time, so I wanted to give him something!"

"And your way of congratulating him is by taking advantage of your employee discount," Lauriam shoots him a sly grin.

"What! I always pay you fairly!" Sora says indignantly. "...Don't I?"

"Of course you do. I'm just teasing," Lauriam laughs, turning back to his arrangement. "A good grade, huh? Riku was... the one that studies biology?"

"Marine biology," he corrects proudly. "He's my bestest friend in the entire world!"

"I know that much," Lauriam breathes, exasperated. "You quite literally will not let me forget _that_ piece of information."

"Alright, but that's not important! What I want to know is which of these little guys you think I should take," Sora gestures a little too excitedly at one of the shelves, one that carries small bundles of flowers in delicate vases.

"Sure you don't want me to make you something?" Lauriam questions, gesturing to the arrangement in front of him.

"Nah, your schedule is packed enough," he nods, more to himself than to Lauriam. "Plus, we're kinda hanging out tonight so it has to be something I can pick up ASAP."

"My, how thoughtful of you," Lauriam mocks, tone flat and sarcastic. "In that case, I think anything with bright colors will do, but you can't go wrong with tulips."

Sora scans the shelves, eyes landing on a bundle of yellow tulips. "How about that one? Riku likes yellow, and it's a pretty cheerful color!"

Lauriam takes a moment to look at it, too, and nods. "That's a good one. If that doesn't get your feelings across, I don't know what will."

"That's a _little_ dramatic," Sora chuckles, setting the vase aside so he'll know to pick it up later. "But I'm sure he'll feel the most congratulated."

 

* * *

 

He's out the door as soon as his shift ends, and Lauriam has to shout at him from across the street so he'll come back to pick up the flowers he'd chosen for Riku. It's not like he doesn't hang out with Riku and Kairi at least once every month already, so there's really no reason for him to be this excited. But today's special, because they're going to party over Riku's great grade on his research on turtles or whatever it was. And Sora's so ridiculously proud of his friend even if he has no idea what he actually does in college, he's bouncing the entire way to the convenience store. He has beer and chips to acquire.

Sora arrives at Riku's apartment about an hour later, gently carrying the flowers on one hand and a massive bag of snacks on the other, to see that the hangout is well underway. To his surprise, Riku's younger brother is the one who opens the door for him, looking disgruntled already. "Ugh, it's you."

"Oh! Wasn't expecting you here, Riku Replica! How's high school?" Sora laughs, making his way inside the doorway.

"I am _twenty years old_!" Not-Riku groans, closing the door a bit more forcefully than necessary. "That's not my name either!"

He ignores the boy's protests, making his way to the living room where he sees Riku, as well as Kairi, and... Naminé and Xion of all people. "I thought this was just going to be the three of us getting drunk and playing Smash, what's all this?"

"Hey Sora," Riku greets, only taking his eyes off the screen for a second before turning back to Mario Kart. "I invited Mini-Me over," Sora turns to smirk at Replica, who glares at his brother, "and then one thing kinda led to another."

Sora blinks, then shoots the room a puzzled look. "How does one person become three?"

"He didn't want to come alone," Naminé elaborates with a sweet voice, sitting on a beanbag with a sketchbook on her lap. She ignores how Replica squints his eyes at her, looking affronted at being outed like that. "Then Even insisted I bring Xion along, because she's obviously the responsible one who isn't going to let any of us get drunk."

Xion, who is currently busy with a clearly alcoholic beer can, waves at her twin brother. Sora shoots her a thumbs up back. "How'd practice go today?"

"It went good," Xion replies, tipping the can slightly. "We're still working it out, but I think this new song is gonna be a banger."

"Awesome," Sora grins; he loves hearing the stuff they'd come up with as _Icing on the Cake_ . Having musicians for friends is _so_ cool; he can't wait for them to make it beyond gigs at run-down bars. Knowing his sister and roommate the way he does, they'd make it in no time.

"Ienzo wanted to come too, but he was too busy," Replica interjects, mostly to himself, flinging himself into the empty space on the couch next to Xion. "Nerdy-pants is working on something for uni that's been taking all his time."

"Aw, am I getting substituted as the absent big brother?" Riku mock-pouts across the couch, getting a pillow thrown on his face as response.

Before the teasing can continue, Kairi shoots Sora a look, effectively taking his attention from the brothers. "Anyway, what are you doing standing out there like a literal wallflower? Drop that stuff on the table and grab a joycon."

"Again, I don't know the difference between these controllers," Sora laughs, releasing the bag of snacks where Kairi indicated, remembering the flowers on his other hand. He nearly shoves them into Riku's face, but his self-control reaches him just in time. "Oh yeah! I brought you these! As congrats for that sweet sweet 98! Where should I put them?"

"Oh! That's so sweet, Sora," Riku smiles up at him, and Sora quietly congratulates himself for a job well done. "You can leave them on the counter, I think."

Kairi snorts as Sora bounces towards the kitchen area, eliciting a little 'what?' from him. "Nothing, just glad to see you so perky."

"Things have been going well," Sora grins, grabbing what he guesses is a "joycon" from the end table and shoving himself onto a bean bag. "Where's Lea?"

"Why would that loser be here?" Kairi rolls her eyes, a lazy smile on her face. "Just 'cause Riku invited his brother doesn't mean I invited mine."

"I mean, I didn't invite my sister but she turned up anyway," Sora gives a side-eye to Xion, but he has an easy smile, too.

"I'll leave," Xion threatens, waving her own newly-acquired joycon in his direction.

"Noooo, I love you," Sora mock-cries, waving his arms as if to hug Xion next to him.

"You're just whiny because you wanted to see Roxas," Replica mutters, refusing to look in their direction.

"Okay," Riku says a bit louder than the chatter around him, looking a bit uncomfortable, probably with the wide array of directions the conversation is going. "Can you guys pick your characters or what?"

"Dibs on Link!" Sora screeches, already well on his way to picking the character in question.

They end up playing several hours of Smash Bros, even Naminé joining in for a few rounds. (Sora chuckles a bit at her choice of character— Rosalina fits her more than he expected.) Once they switch to Mario Party, it's late enough that Riku has to shoosh them every time someone steals a star or otherwise fucks someone over, lest they incur the ire of his neighbors. By the time they switch to Puyo Tetris, everybody has a non-negligible amount of alcohol in them; needless to say no one truly wins at that game, only Lady Luck herself.

Eventually, Naminé excuses herself to Riku's bedroom. Looking over at the clock, Sora can see it's half past five. Replica is sound asleep on the couch, head tipped over the back, but Xion and Kairi are still engaged in a ferocious battle of Tetriminos that Riku and himself have dropped out of long ago.

Honestly, Sora wishes he wasn't getting sleepy too. These all-nighters with his friends, even if there were _more_ friends than he expected, had become such rare occasions that he wanted to savor every last second of them. But he nearly dozes off watching Kairi's Tetris Disaster, which is a very, very bad sign for his "stay up all night" plan.

"Tired?" Sora nearly startles at Riku's voice next to him. His friend looks about as tired as he feels. "I'd say you can have the guest room, but I already promised it to Kairi and Xion. Sorry."

Sora opens his mouth to speak, but a yawn comes out instead. It takes a few seconds for him to recover. "S'okay. Kairi gets grumpy without a real bed."

"She does," Riku laughs quietly, watching as Xion finally emerges Queen of Tetris, her cute anime girl character (Sora had never learned their names) looping a victory animation on the screen. "You can sleep on the other half of the couch if you're not afraid of my brother killing you in your sleep."

"Nah, it's your house! You should get the couch, I'll take the futon," Sora argues, crossing his arms petulantly.

"It's my house, and I say my guests get to sleep like real human beings," Riku throws back, but the old competitive spark melts away in an instant. "Specially guests that brought me nice flowers."

"Oh, uh, they're really nothing special," Sora refutes, truthfully. "I just wanted to congratulate you, that's all."

"That's why they're nice, dork," Riku shoves at his shoulder lightly. "I'll take good care of them."

Sora never had any doubt of that. Riku always throws himself wholeheartedly into everything, even his occasional flowers, which is why his apartment was starting to look a bit like the Graceful Dahlia itself. Taking care of things is what he _does_.

"Ew," Xion interjects, startling Sora into realizing he must have said at least some of that out loud. "Stop being gross in front of your sister."

"Yeah, get a room," Kairi teases. "Not the guest room though. That's still mine."

"I may be about ready to hit the hay," Riku admits, stretching out his well-defined arms. "Are you girls still up for more?"

"If I see any more quirky cartoon characters I will probably die," is Kairi's eloquent response, struggling to stand up from the couch. "I shall have my revenge in the afternoon."

"Assuming any of us are awake by then," Xion chuckles, sounding a bit on the far side of drunk. She seems to acknowledge it, as she follows, "Or awake _and_ not hungover."

Sora watches as the two girls retreat into the bedroom, still chattering and challenging each other, and muses at what an unexpected sight it all is.

His sister, Naminé, Riku's brother, and his two childhood friends, all together and smiling under the same roof. A few years ago, that would be as likely as pigs flying. In fact, if he ever told his younger self, still buried deep in college assignments and dead end jobs, that this was his life now... He may not have laughed at his face, but he sure would have gotten a very confused "huh?" and a confident statement of non-understanding.

But here he was. All the important people in his life, together, having all the fun they could. Well, Roxas wasn't here, but he was probably back in their apartment, sleeping with the cat after spending his days with _his_ precious friends. Knowing Roxas was happy made him happy, too.

"You okay?" Riku whispers as he sits down, and Sora notices he'd not only already brought out the futon, he was also already dressed for bed, in what people who weren't close to him would consider an uncharacteristically cute set of Mickey Mouse pajamas. "You're kinda staring at the couch."

Sora nods, making sure to speak quietly too. "I'm okay. Just thinking."

"Don't hurt yourself," Riku smirks, getting his thousandth pillow to the face that day. "...Wanna talk about it?"

"It's just... Everyone's smiling," Sora says, eyes drifting towards the boy still sleeping on the couch. "I'm just glad that we're all together and having fun!"

"You're such a sap," and this should sound like a tease, but Riku's tone us genuine, his smile softer than it had been all night. "Thank you for coming over, Sora. I mean it."

Sora blinks, then gives him a little smile. "I'd never miss a hangout at my best friend's cool apartment," and then, a little more seriously, "That said... There were more people over than usual, so I was a little worried..."

"Oh," Riku tilts his head, letting his bangs fall over his face. "That's... Sorry, I know I was being kinda awkward..."

"No, dude, don't even," he points in mock threat at Riku. "Not your fault, anxiety is a bitch. I'm happy you managed to hold out the entire night."

"Yeah," Riku smiles at him, sincere and thankful, and Sora wonders who turned on the lights all of a sudden. "Helps that I had my best friends around."

"Seriously, though, how _did_ this happen?" He nods his head at Replica's graceless sleeping form.

"I'm... not really sure why I called him over," Riku admits, after a moment. "I just... wanted to see him. I wasn't expecting the girls to come over too, but..."

"Oh my god, you're the cutest," Sora whines, voice a pitch higher. "Look at you being an adorable big bro and everything."

"I have to be," Riku's eyes are on Replica as he responds, and quietly, Sora wonders if that was the wrong thing to say. "He deserves that, even if it's too little too late."

He swallows, the conversation taking a turn Sora had hoped it wouldn't take. "It's not too late," he nods resolutely. "You and I have lots of lost time to make up for, but it's not our fault."

"I know," Riku sighs, and at least he can admit to that much. "Thanks, Sora. Heh, feels like that's all I've been saying tonight..."

"Yeah, you _really_ don't have to thank me all that much."

But Riku shakes his head, briefly distracting Sora with the movement. "No, I do. And I'll thank you as many times as I need even if you don't think you deserve to hear it. You're—"

"Oh my fucking god," comes a muffled, rough voice from inside a pillow, which Replica's face just happens to be pressed against. "Let me sleep, what is _wrong_ with you two..."

"Oh, whoops," Sora exclaims, looking wide-eyed towards the boy at the foot of the couch, face heating up with shame at being so inconsiderable. "Er, so much for that cool brother talk."

Riku laughs, quietly, though the person they didn't want to disturb had already been disturbed. "Sorry, Mini-Me. We're going to bed."

There's a muffled voice that sounds like it could have said 'you better', but neither of them are really sure.

The next afternoon goes much like the evening, with laughs and cheer and a lot friendly teasing, just... significantly less alcohol. Sora is contented, soft, and warm, watching the faces of his friends and family displaying nothing but smiles. 

 

* * *

 

"Here's a bit of trivia for you," Lauriam smiled at Sora. "At some point, yellow tulips used to signify 'true love'."

Sora nearly choked on his own spit, red-faced both from oxygen deprivation and something else entirely. "What??"

"Don't worry, nobody actually cares about flower language," Lauriam chuckled, clearly amused at the boy's alarmed reaction. "Half of the flowers in existence mean love or friendship or variations of both, and some have outright contradicting meanings, so it's worthless in practice. It's just a hobby of mine, that's all."

"Uhh... And is there any specific reason why you chose to bring that one up just now?"

"Not really, no."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little worried that this was too many characters being introduced at once but....... it's kingdom hearts... this is heavily inspired by my own hangouts with my ex-college friends so it's kinda special to me hehe  
> here's some worldbuilding: xion and sora are twins separated at birth who reconnected semi-recently; repliku is riku's younger brother but they lived most of their lives apart due to Circumstances...... also nami, xion, repliku and ienzo all live at a "foster" home with even  
> this is kinda like.... the post-series pointless fluff fanfic to a heavy drama series that doesn't exist


	3. Hibiscus

Sora is certain he is going to die.

Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic. But the way he saw the box, full of fragile flower pots and vases, slide off the top of his stack of deliveries in slow motion, it certainly felt like the last few moments of his life 

Why did he think he could do this? There was no way he could do this. Lauriam always handles it, but Sora had wanted to do something nice for the man while he was hard at work on a large batch of wedding decorations. But for all his grace and eye for the aesthetic, Lauriam was deceptively... buff. Supposedly, his boss went to the gym quite often, or so Dilan told. Conversely, the most exercise Sora did was running laps around the block in the mornings with Riku before work, and it showed on his weak, scrawny arms. Riku had always been stronger, and nowadays he had essentially twice of Sora's anything. Probably twice as smart too, all things considered...

...Aaaand now he's basically watching his life flash in front of his eyes. He is  _ absolutely _ going to die.

The box sure is taking a long time to fall down and shatter its contents, though. Maybe this is what people mean when they say time slows down when you're having a near death experience...

Then, he hears a soft, boyish voice call out to him, "Need some help?"

That finally snaps Sora out of his own head, and when he lowers his stack of boxes to look, what he sees in front of him, framed by a halo of sunlight, is a dazzling boy, round-faced, with short white hair and a red scarf.

Sora wonders if maybe he really died, because this guy? He looks downright angelic.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry," Sora yelps as he shifts the boxes in his hands, face red both from embarrassment and sudden, overwhelming homosexuality. "Thank you so much, you're a lifesaver!"

"It's no problem," the man shoots him a smile, and Sora feels like he's been struck directly at the chest. "Seriously, though. Need help? I can carry one more of these boxes."

"No! No, I'm fine," he shrieks, shifting again and starting to walk towards the Dahlia, nearly stumbling on his feet again.

"Okay, if you say so," the boy shrugs. "Where are we headed?"

"Huh? Um," Sora blinks through his confusion, having to think about it despite already having had that same thought two seconds ago. "To the Graceful Dahlia. It's a flower shop just one house down..."

"Lead the way," the boy nods, adjusting the post-near-death-experience box in his hands as well.

Sora nods back, beginning his trek to his workplace, thankful to not be directly in front of him anymore. The boy had been too dazzling.

"I'm Ephemer, by the way," the angel, Ephemer, says as he walks two paces behind.

"Oh," Sora hums. It takes him a moment to find his voice again. "Uh, I'm Sora! Nice to meet you!"

"Good to meet you too, Sora," Ephemer says, shooting him a toothy grin

Sora is completely certain that he died and got assigned the most precious angel ever.

When they arrive, Sora has to set his boxes down to pick up the keys, and once he's done unlocking, he sees that Ephemer has already grabbed them both, stacking them at the top of the almost-murdered box. Sora shoots him a little pout, but he can't argue when the boy gives him a wry smile and a shrug.

Damn cute boys. They'd be the death of him.

"What a nice little shop," Ephemer comments when they step inside. "Where should I put these?"

"Oh, on the counter is fine," Sora nods, a quick look around making it clear Lauriam had still not arrived. "Thank you again for your help, Ephemer. I don't know what I would've done..."

Ephemer chuckles softly, settling the boxes on top of the counter, un-stacking them for safety. "Well, I just can't watch someone who needs help and do nothing."

"A man after my own heart," in more ways than one, Sora thinks. "How can I repay you?"

"Normally I'd say you don't need to, but... You aren't going to accept that answer, are you?" Ephemer chuckles again, and Sora is almost offended at how easily he was profiled. "Hmm... Well, this is a flower shop, right? How about you give me some flowers and we're even?"

"That sounds great," Sora pumps his fists. "You can pick anything on display! My treat!"

Ephemer does take a look around the shop, shelves freshly stocked with flower pots, bouquets and fancy arrangements, but he turns back to Sora with an almost devilish glint to his eyes. "What would you pick for me? It's your repayment, after all."

"Uh," Sora croaks slightly. Picking flowers to give to a cute boy was way beyond the scope of what he expected to do this morning. "Sure."

To make the matter worse, Ephemer laughs slightly. At least his suffering was amusing. "Don't worry so much about it, I'm sure whatever you pick will be great."

No pressure at all. Okay.

He looks around the store, trying to find something that matches the boy's image, and lands his eyes on a small vase with a couple of dainty branches of soft, pinkish white plum blossoms.

"This one," he mutters, grabbing the vase and inspecting it. Something about it gives off a similar vibe to Ephemer, he muses, holding the vase up to look at it with the boy as backdrop. "Yeah, it's perfect."

"Those are really lovely," Ephemer agrees, looking at it as if afraid to touch it. "Also not exactly cheap. Is it really okay?"

Sora snorts a little. "This is more than worth the price of not having a dozen shattered vases and pots. Now  _ those _ aren't exactly cheap," he shoots a sly smile. "C'mon, take it."

"In that case..." Ephemer bows his head before gently taking the vase in his hands. "These really are beautiful. Please, give Lauriam my compliments."

"Of course!" Sora grins, oddly proud of his boss's handiwork. He didn't know that much about flowers, but even he knew Lauriam was exceptional at his job.

"Now, unfortunately I do have to go to work," Ephemer squints his eyes in a grimace, probably thinking of the repercussions of coming in late, "but I'll see you around?"

"Sure!" Sora throws his hands behind his head, feeling light and carefree at the feeling of having made a new friend. "It was great meeting you, Ephemer!"

"Same to you, Sora," he nods his head respectfully before turning around to leave, and Sora has the strangest sensation.

Looking at Ephemer's back, framed by the light from the open door, Sora has the feeling he might never get to see Ephemer again.

Strangely, that does not make him sad; he feels more like having gotten to meet the odd boy is a privilege not many have.

And now he's going to have to cut a few thousand munny out of his own payment.

Totally worth it, he thinks.

 

It's only a little bit later that he has a realization.

"He asked me to give Lauriam his compliments...?" Sora mutters to himself, unpacking and storing things in their proper place. "Did I even mention his name...?"

He hears Lauriam's voice behind him, having arrived mere minutes ago. "What are you mumbling about over there?"

"Nothing!" He exclaims, trying his best to look innocent. "It's just that... I met someone new today."

Lauriam lets out a little chuckle. "Sounds like you," he teases, not unkindly.

"Yup, I'm an expert friend-maker!" Sora grins back at him, comfortable silence slowly turning awkward as he thinks over what he wants to say. "But, hey, Lauriam?"

"Hm?" The man hums, no longer looking at Sora, engrossed into his latest project. A little flower pot with a healthy-looking plant growing inside, probably just in need of a trim.

"Do you, uh..." He hesitates, scratches at his own head. "Do you happen to know a guy named Ephemer?"

There's a harsh snap of gardening scissors, a familiar swift metallic sound, followed by silence. Sora briefly wonders if he, maybe, fucked up.

"What... did you say?" He's still not looking at Sora, staring right into the little arrange, voice both shaky and harsh.

"Um..." He hesitates, fearful of whatever reaction this might get, now. "I asked if you... know anyone by the name of Ephemer."

He can heat Lauriam take in a deep breath. A beat, then two.

"First Ventus, now..." Sora hears him mutter, not entirely sure he was meant to hear it, because he hears the next part much more clearly. "I knew an Ephemer, once. I don't anymore."

"I... see," Sora adds intelligently. "I think.. he kind of expected to find you here? But he found me instead."

Lauriam takes in a breath, releasing a sigh that sounds tired and wistful at the same time. "Eph did have a talent for finding his way into places he shouldn't," he says with a bitter smile. "Still short, with wavy white hair?"

Sora brightens at the confirmation. "Yeah, that's the one! Had this stylish scarf too," he gestures at his neck with a grin.

"Goodness, but he has to take that thing off someday," Lauriam smiles sincerely for only a second, before it slips off again, like a petal falling to the ground.

"Hey," Sora starts, breaking the awkward silence with his own awkward head tilting. "Is it... bad that he knows you're here? Or that I let him see the shop? If you're hiding, I shouldn't..."

That seems to snap Lauriam off of his internal monologue, blinking up at Sora in surprise. "No, you did nothing wrong, Sora. Treat him as you would any customer," he nods, crossing his arms in determination. "It's nothing that big that it would get me or you in trouble, so don't worry your pretty little head over it. It's already overworked enough as it is," he adds with a sly smirk.

"Hey!" He huffs. "I definitely still have a lot of brainpower to work with!"

"I'm certain you do," Lauriam says, tone light. "But yes, you have nothing to worry about  I'm sure you and Eph would be great friends, don't hold yourself back because of me."

"Really? I'm kinda glad to hear that," Sora smiles, sincere. He was a bit worried he'd have to immediately throw his new acquaintance away, to be honest. Ephemer seemed like a good person. "What do I do if he asks about you, though?"

There's a bit of a pause, but it doesn't feel as tense as the ones before. Lauriam looks into his incomplete work, a finger on his chin. "Just be honest with him," he concludes with a nod. "I'll deal with whatever comes of it."

"Alright," Sora nods back, trusting his judgment. Then, he adds, "I don't know what went on between you guys, but I hope you can smooth things over!"

Lauriam looks... shocked. For a moment, Sora wonders if that was the wrong thing to say. He did have no idea what the context was, after all. But then his boss's face softens, a look that Sora would dare read as  _ hopeful _ in his eyes.

"I would like that as well, Sora."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sora is a bisexual disaster: the series


End file.
